Rory MacDonald: “People Can Love Me or Hate Me, I Fight for Myself”

Rory MacDonald is fighting for a few different reasons, but one of them isn’t for the adoration of the fans.

It was very evident in the lead-up to his fight against B.J. Penn at UFC on Fox 5 that MacDonald was not going to be the fan favorite facing off against the Hawaiian legend.

Still most fighters will admit it’s not a good feeling to have an entire arena of people against you on a given night. There are those rare occasions where a fighter such as Josh Koscheck for instance, feeds off of the negative energy.

For Rory MacDonald, he’s like an assassin – cold, emotionless, and has a mission when he steps into the cage. No amount of cheers or boos are going to change what he has to do, and so nothing bothers him one way or the other.

“It doesn’t matter, I don’t fight for them,” MacDonald said about the crowd and fans. “People can love me or hate me, I fight for myself and because I love it. It is what it is.”

It may not make him a fan favorite by saying what he’s saying, but Rory MacDonald is just being himself, and if that attracts people to love him, great. If not, he’s not losing any sleep over it.

“I don’t care, as long as I fight well and I think I did. If they don’t like me, I can’t do anything about it. I’m just going to be me,” said MacDonald.

Whether you love him or hate him, MacDonald’s talent is undeniable and he’ll look to continue his recent streak as he moves into 2013 and his next fight in the UFC.

Everybody wants to be loved to say otherwise is BS he would love the adulation GSP gets, fact is he is not particularly like able,me I love to watch him fight, but that’s as far as it goes great fighter but not much else

Timothy Malone

As long as he keeps winning the love will come. Anderson Silva after all isn’t that likeable in his press appearances and quite frankly seems like a pretty weird dude. Yet he is loved because he’s so damn good.

KT1

Yup cant argue with that dude to be fair

shakejunt

of course every fighter wants to have fans, but you can be the heel and still be popular. no media (within reason) is bad media for these guys. look at jones and chael.

drkdisciple

Rory is the next big thing at 170. Hope he fights a top 10 guy next. Condit,Fitch or Kampman would all be good match ups!

shakejunt

condit and kampmann are both coming off losses, but the fitch-maia winner is a possibility. i think they’ll put him against ellenberger

DamianCross

I see six glasses of merlot and a telephone pole in this kid’s future.

el che

^ i would thumbs down if i didn’t have to sign in in order to do so. what a terrible thing to post, and without any merit either.

BRAD

Well Ill go ahead and thumbs UP for you instead. The kids a brat is what she’s trying to say and just like Jon Jones it will catch up to him.

Milosc

He acts likes a narcissistic child

Picking ‘a Legend to beat’, to go along with his star Wars action figures and Pokemon cards. The showboating pushed it over the edge

shakejunt

… he’s 23

and star wars figures are a completely different generation that pokemon cards, you fool.

Crashman

LMAO stop with the excuses , now if BJ had of won you’d be here gloating how the “legend” beat down this up and coming punk kid, so dont deny that, Rory did showboat and it was ridiculous, but how many times has he done that …none… so suck it up buttercup, while YOU were looking at star wars action figures he was learning the rear naked choke, give this kid the respect he’s due.

steed

BJ called him out and got his ass kicked, he didn’t pick sh!t

fu

Know your facts. Rory called him out. Bj being the stupid, prideful fighter he is didn’t back down. It hurt to see Bj get messed up like that but he needs to be in lightweight.

adam1848

I respect the fact that Rory fights for himself and doesn’t do it so he can be “popular.” When I met him at an expo he seemed to be a very pleasant, likable guy. Doesn’t come off that way during a press conference, but who gives a damn? He’s looking to be a champion in a combat sport, not prom king. Obviously everyone who isn’t a sociopath would rather be liked than disliked…I think all he is saying is that is isn’t going to change himself in order to come across as more likable to the general population…and I for one, respect that. Plus the dude is one of the best young martial artists I have ever seen, and thats why we are all here, right?

Grant

He’s an arrogant little d-bag. Hopefully Condit will take him out again.

Crashman

The same Condit that lost three quarters of that fight, and got lucky with an elbow.. that same one?

Kbesq

Normally I don’t comment on such old comments, but this is ridiculous. Condit absolutely dominated McDonald for the entirety of the third round of that fight. There were no ‘lucky’ shots in that round. Condit was never in trouble. I’ve seen that fight like 20 times (because it’s awesome). I suggest you go watch it again. It would have been an absolute travesty if McDonald was given the win for that fight. Condit clearly won the fight; McDonald just won two rounds.

Rob

The sociopathic look and attitude is kinda entertaining but I would drop the showboating because it doesn’t really fit. I live where he is from and while I have never met him I have heard that he is actually a nice guy. Come fight time though he switches into another animal entirely. He’s only 23.

Ron Couden

I attended the weigh-in and fight. He was only booed because he was fighting BJ. He was raised just a couple hours north of Seattle so I’m surprised he didn’t have a better following at the fight.

ed

Rory was not showboating , he said it himself with his cold look in his eyes , bj told him to back up his words and thats exactly what he’s done , condit your next